While most baseball fans are focused on the drama of postseason play in the fall, it’s also an important time for some of the minor leagues’ top prospects. And starting next week, some of the A’s most promising young prospects will begin play in the Arizona Fall League.

The league has been going strong for the past couple of decades now, and its schedule runs for about 5-6 weeks from early-October through mid-November. There are 6 teams in the AFL, with each team comprised of prospects from 5 different organizations. A’s prospects will be playing for the Mesa Solar Sox this year, where they’ll be joined by prospects from the Blue Jays, Angels, Nationals and Cubs, including one particular prospect by the name of Addison Russell.

Attendance at AFL games typically hovers around 200 or so, with the crowds comprised mostly of scouts, agents and various professional baseball personnel. Most organizations use the AFL as an opportunity to get some of their top prospects a little more live game action to hopefully help advance their development.

Olson had perhaps the best overall season of any A’s prospect this year. The 6’4” slugger led all A’s minor leaguers in home runs, walks, RBIs and total bases while playing for Stockton in the hitter-friendly California League. He’ll have the chance to prove his true power potential next season for Double-A Midland, where the hitting conditions for power-hitting prospects have historically been far more challenging.

DANIEL ROBERTSON

Shortstop

Age: 20

Stockton Ports

15 HR / .310 AVG / .402 OBP / .471 SLG / .873 OPS

With the trade of Addison Russell to the Cubs this summer, Robertson has now taken over as the A’s shortstop of the future. And he certainly earned that billing this year, leading all A’s minor leaguers in hits while putting up a healthy .310/.402/.471 slash line and playing solid in the field for Stockton. Robertson also got in a little postseason time with Double-A Midland, where he should be the team’s starting shortstop next season.

BOOG POWELL

Outfielder

Age: 21

Beloit Snappers / Stockton Ports

3 HR / .343 AVG / .451 OBP / .435 SLG / .886 OPS

Powell was perhaps the A’s best minor league hitter in the first half while playing for Beloit. About a week and a half after being promoted to Stockton, he was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for amphetamines. But the speedy center fielder still hit well for Stockton before and after his suspension and ended the season with the best batting average and on-base percentage of any player in the A’s system.

DREW GRANIER

Right-Handed Pitcher

Age: 25

Midland RockHounds / Sacramento River Cats

130 1/3 IP / 143 H / 71 ER / 76 BB / 94 K / 4.90 ERA / 1.68 WHIP

A 32nd-round draft pick for the A’s in 2011, Granier has earned his way up through the system with solid performances on the mound. The 25-year-old right-hander started and ended the 2014 season with a few rocky outings but was very dependable for Midland for most of the year. He’ll use the extra innings he’ll get in the AFL to try to gain greater command of his secondary pitches, which he’ll need to do if he hopes to climb the next rung on the ladder.

TANNER PETERS

Right-Handed Pitcher

Age: 24

Midland RockHounds / AZL A’s

28 IP / 36 H / 17 ER / 8 BB / 17 K / 5.46 ERA / 1.57 WHIP

Peters had a solid season for Stockton in 2013 but was sidelined by shoulder issues after just three starts for Midland last year. The 24-year-old southern California native came back to get in a few outings in the Arizona League in August but can use some extra innings in the AFL as he looks to get himself back on track and ready to compete again in 2015.

RYAN DOOLITTLE

Right-Handed Pitcher

Age: 26

Midland RockHounds / Stockton Ports

57 1/3 IP / 53 H / 19 ER / 21 BB / 60 K / 2.98 ERA / 1.29 WHIP

After being drafted back in 2008 and missing significant time due to injury, Sean’s little brother will return to the A’s system for one more season. “Little Doo” struck out 60 in 57 1/3 innings for Midland and Stockton last season and could potentially pitch well enough in the AFL to help put himself into a position to be considered for a bullpen spot next to his big brother sometime before the end of next season.

After starting 9 games for Beloit in 2013, House led all A’s minor league relievers with 19 saves while striking out 82 in just 61 2/3 innings last season. The 6’4” right-hander should have the chance to close out a few more games in the AFL as he gets ready to serve as the RockHounds’ closer at Midland next season.

Be sure to like A’s Farm’s page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @AthleticsFarm. You can also get our exclusive A’s minor league newsletter e-mailed to you free by signing uphere.

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With the A’s heart-breaking 2014 campaign now over, the A’s faithful are left wondering, “What’s next?” But before we examine the possible answers to that question, let’s first take a look at who’s set to stay and who’s set to go…

Assuming the A’s aren’t likely to re-sign any of the team’s potential free agents, the A’s available roster of players for the 2015 season doesn’t really look all that different from the roster of players the team started 2014 with. But with this season’s disappointment fresh in A’s fans’ hearts and minds, many have been calling for general manager Billy Beane and his staff to dismantle the current roster and begin the rebuild. If recent comments are any indication though, it looks like Beane and company aren’t ready for a rebuild quite yet and would rather retool for at least one more go-‘round with this current crop of A’s players. Beane was quoted in Bay Area media reports this week as saying that the A’s would be looking for a right-handed bat and that the shortstop position was also an area of concern for him. Those don’t exactly sound like the sentiments of a man looking to tear things down but rather of a man looking to build things back up.

When it comes to pitching, the A’s could actually be in a position to start off the 2015 season with a slightly stronger rotation than the team had in place at the start of 2014. Jeff Samardzija, Scott Kazmir, Sonny Gray, Jesse Chavez and Drew Pomeranz are all under team control and all performed well when given a shot in the rotation last year. The team began 2014 with Kazmir, Gray and Chavez in the rotation, along with Dan Straily and Tommy Milone. So Samardzija and Pomeranz would seem to represent something of an upgrade over Straily and Milone. Josh Lindblom should remain available at Triple-A, while A.J. Griffin could be ready to rejoin the rotation at some point during the season as he returns from Tommy John surgery. Jarrod Parker shouldn’t necessarily be counted on to rejoin the rotation though, since this is his second Tommy John surgery – only one player, Chris Capuano, has returned to a starting role after a second Tommy John surgery – but it’s possible that Parker could ultimately end up figuring into the A’s bullpen mix.

What will Doo do in 2015?

Sean Doolittle should return to the closer role, with Ryan Cook, Dan Otero, Fernando Abad and Eric O’Flaherty all coming back in supporting roles. With Luke Gregerson likely to depart via free agency and Jesse Chavez looking to return to the rotation, Evan Scribner and Fernando Rodriguez should have a good shot at stepping into their roles, and it certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see the A’s pick up a couple of affordable arms with high upside (a la Fernando Abad) to add to the competition for the final bullpen spots. But other than that, there really isn’t that much work for the A’s front office to have to do on the pitching side of things this offseason.

When it comes to the team’s position players, while many names remain the same, there could be a couple of notable holes to try to fill. Catchers Derek Norris, Stephen Vogt and John Jaso are all under team control. While Vogt should be ready to get back behind the plate again after offseason foot surgery, Jaso’s catching days could be coming to an end and his days as a designated hitter may be about to begin. With Jed Lowrie set to test the free agent waters, the A’s middle infielder corps currently consists of Eric Sogard, Nick Punto and Andy Parrino, which clearly will not suffice. Brandon Moss should return to platoon at first base with Kyle Blanks if he’s healthy, or Nate Freiman if he’s not. And in the outfield, Josh Reddick, Coco Crisp, Sam Fuld and Craig Gentry all remain under the A’s control for 2015.

So if the A’s front office is looking to retool for 2015, Beane’s comments this week about a right-handed bat and a shortstop being among the team’s areas of need make perfect sense. A productive right-handed hitting outfielder who could fill the role of the departed Yoenis Cespedes would be a big step towards getting the A’s offense back on track. Any number of players due to hit the free agent market or available on the trade market could fill that role. Finding a credible shortstop to take Lowrie’s place could be a little more challenging – especially since former shortstop-of-the-future Addison Russell was dealt away to the Cubs and new shortstop-of-the-future Daniel Robertson is just 20 and still likely a couple of years away – but it might not be quite as challenging as some might think.

Would Stew do a deal with the A’s?

Though some of them will surely be beyond the A’s budget, shortstops such as Hanley Ramirez, Asdrubal Cabrera, J.J. Hardy, Stephen Drew, Clint Barmes, Mike Aviles and Rafael Furcal are all expected to hit the free agent market this offseason. But there could also be some interesting opportunities to be found with one the A’s most frequent trade partners. The Arizona Diamondbacks, now run by former A’s and long-time Beane acquaintances Dave Stewart and Tony LaRussa, currently control four credible shortstops, three of whom – Chris Owings, Didi Gregorius and, yes, Cliff Pennington – all had better WARs this season than Jed Lowrie according to Baseball-Reference, while the fourth, Nick Ahmed, is a former 2nd-round draft pick who turned in a solid .312/.373/.425 slash line at Triple-A in 2014.

So while many disappointed A’s fans might be calling for a rebuild, the A’s front office looks like it may be planning on retooling for another run in 2015. With staff ace Jeff Samardzija now firmly atop the A’s starting rotation – and last year’s goat Jim Johnson nowhere to be found around the bullpen – if Beane and company can manage to come up with a credible shortstop to replace Lowrie and a solid right-handed bat to fill Cespedes’ role in the lineup, then the A’s could very well end up heading into the 2015 season with a slightly stronger roster than they had when they kicked off the 2014 campaign. The ball is now in Billy’s court – let the offseason wheeling and dealing begin!

Be sure to like A’s Farm’s page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @AthleticsFarm. You can also get our A’s minor league newsletter e-mailed to you free by signing uphere.

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First baseman Matt Olson led all A’s minor leaguers with 37 home runs for Stockton.

With the 2014 minor league season now complete, it’s time to take a step back and determine who the true standouts on the field really were in the A’s system in 2014. And with that in mind, it’s time to name A’s Farm’s 2014 Post-Season Organizational All-Star Team!

Below you’ll find the primary starting players at each position for Triple-A Sacramento, Double-A Midland, High-A Stockton, Class-A Beloit, Class-A Short-Season Vermont and the Rookie League Short-Season Arizona League A’s in 2014. Offensive starters were selected from the players who had the most games played at each position for each team, with notable players not leading in games played at a particular position listed in the designated hitter category. Starting pitchers for each club were selected from hurlers who’ve had at least 10 starts for their team, while closers were selected from each team’s saves leader.

Players who left the A’s system during the season – Michael Taylor, Dusty Robinson, Billy McKinney, B.A. Vollmuth, etc. – have not been included. And the asterisks denote players with combined statistics from multiple minor league teams within the A’s system, but players’ major league statistics and statistics acquired while with other organizations have not been included.

Check out our list of All-Star contenders at each position below. Then just click on the link below our list of contenders to find A’s Farm’s winning Organizational All-Stars at each position. The winners were determined based purely on performance, not potential. Remember, we’re not selecting the top prospects here, we’re choosing the top performers on the field this season. So take a good look at the candidates for yourself and feel free to chime in with your own thoughts and selections!

After tying the series at two games apiece on Saturday, Midland shut out Tulsa in Game #5 on Sunday to become 2014’s Texas League champions. RockHounds ace Nate Long, who notched the win in Game #1, tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings to hold Tulsa scoreless while the Hounds took the lead. Long struck out 5 before exiting with a 3-run lead and ended up earning his 2nd win in the series. RHP Marcus Walden tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, while LHP Frank Gailey pitched a perfect 8th, and RHP Jose Flores got the final three outs in the 9th. Shortstop Dusty Coleman hit a 2-run homer to give the Hounds the lead in the 2nd, and second baseman Conner Crumbliss followed with a homer in the 5th to extend the lead. Outfielder Jeremy Barfield singled, doubled and drove in a run, while third baseman Matt Chapman singled in the RockHounds’ final run in the 6th to help Midland earn its first Texas League crown since the team last took the title in 2009.

Down 2 games to 1 and facing elimination in the best-of-five Texas League Championship Series on Saturday, the RockHounds brought out the bats and put 9 runs on the board to help them even things up and send the series to a decisive Game #5 at Midland on Sunday. The Hounds also got a strong outing from starter Deryk Hooker, who shut out Tulsa for 5 innings before allowing 2 runs in the 6th and exiting with two men on who would eventually come around to score. Hooker picked up the win, while RHP Murphy Smith struck out 5 in 3 scoreless innings of relief, and RHP Ryan Dull got the final three outs in the 9th. At the plate, five Hounds hitters had multi-hit games on Saturday. Designated hitter D’Arby Myers singled, doubled and drove in 3, while first baseman Max Muncy collected 4 hits and drove in a run, and third baseman Matt Chapman singled, doubled, walked and scored twice. Second baseman Daniel Robertson had 2 hits and 2 walks and drove in a run, and center fielder Kenny Wilson singled, doubled, stole a base, scored twice and drove in a pair for the RockHounds. The deciding game of the series is set to take place on Sunday with Nate Long taking the mound for Midland.

Midland dropped Game #3 of the Texas League Championship Series in 11 innings on Friday night to go down 2-1 in the best-of-five series. This year’s 1st-round draft pick for the A’s, third baseman Matt Chapman, homered in the 2nd inning to give the RockHounds an early lead. Starter Shawn Haviland allowed 2 runs on just 3 hits while striking out 6 in 6 innings of work and left with his team down by a run. Designated hitter D’Arby Myers walked with the based loaded in the bottom of the 8th to bring in the tying run for the RockHounds. RHP Marcus Walden pitched 3 perfect innings in relief to help keep things tight, while RHP Jose Flores came on to toss a scoreless 10th but gave up a 3-run homer in the top of the 11th to take the loss. Chapman singled, walked and homered in the game, while Myers had a pair of singles and a walk, and catcher Beau Taylor singled and doubled in the loss. Former A’s farmhand Carlos Hernandez got the start for Tulsa and allowed just 1 run over 7 strong innings for the Drillers. The RockHounds must now win Game #4, which is set to take place on Saturday with RHP Deryk Hooker taking the mound for Midland.

Tulsa managed to put 5 runs on the board over the first 4 innings against Midland, which would be all the Drillers would need to win Game #2 of the best-of-five Texas League Championship Series on Wednesday and even the series up at one game apiece. Starter Chris Jensen, who was solid all season for the RockHounds, had a shaky outing on Wednesday, allowing 5 runs on 7 hits over 4 innings of work to put the Hounds in a hole they could not climb out of. RHP Murphy Smith tossed 2 scoreless innings in relief, while RHP Ryan Dull pitched 1 2/3 perfect innings, and LHP Frank Gailey got the final out for Midland. With the RockHounds down by a run, first baseman Max Muncy homered in the top of the 2nd to tie things up. Muncy would also draw one of Midland’s only two walks later in the game. Daniel Robertson, starting at second base and batting leadoff, homered in the top of the 3rd to bring the Hounds within 2 runs, but that would be all the scoring the RockHounds would do on Wednesday. Shortstop Dusty Coleman singled and doubled, while outfielder Kent Matthes and pinch hitter D’Arby Myers both singled in the loss. The series will resume on Friday in Midland with RHP Shawn Haviland set to take the mound for the Hounds.

Nate Long’s arm and Kent Matthes’s bat combined to help the RockHounds win the opening game of the best-of-five Texas League Championship Series on Tuesday in Tulsa. Long, the Texas League wins leader, tossed another gem, allowing 1 run on just 3 hits over 8 innings of work to earn the win, while RHP Jose Flores got the final three outs for the Hounds. With the game tied 1-1 in the top of the 7th, left fielder Kent Matthes smacked a 3-run homer to provide the margin of victory for Midland. Center fielder Kenny Wilson and catcher Beau Taylor both drove in a run, while right fielder Jeremy Barfield and first baseman Max Muncy had a pair of hits apiece for the Hounds.

The RockHounds notched their third straight victory over Frisco on Saturday night to clinch the Texas League South Division Championship and earn their ticket to the Texas League Championship Series. And Midland managed to claim victory on Saturday by collecting just 3 hits. First baseman Max Muncy got things going early by homering in the 1st inning to put the Hounds on the board. Shortstop Dusty Coleman singled and scored on a wild pitch in the 5th, and outfielder Jeremy Barfield, who walked 3 times, doubled and was stranded in the 8th – while designated hitter Conner Crumbliss drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the 5th. Starter Shawn Haviland gave up 3 runs in 4 innings of work, while RHP Deryk Hooker allowed 1 run over 2 2/3 innings to earn the win, and RHP Jose Flores tossed a scoreless 9th to pick up the save. Midland will now take on Tulsa in the best-of-five Texas League Championship Series starting Tuesday in Tulsa.